Cargo plane makes emergency landing in Miami

MIAMI (AP) – A witness saw sparks shooting from a cargo plane as it made an emergency landing at Miami International Airport shortly after takeoff.

The aircraft landed safely on Thursday night “after experiencing an engine malfunction soon after departure,” a spokesperson for Atlas Air said. “The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA.”

The airplane was “shooting sparks” as it flew overhead, said Melanie Adaros, who heard and saw an approaching plane.

“There’s always planes flying overhead, but they’re little planes,” she said. “But this didn’t sound like a little plane. It sounded very low, so I turned ... You always see a plane going up or going down. This one was just at a steady level and it was shooting sparks. It was very surreal.”

She recorded it with her phone, wondering “is it falling? Is it going to explode?” she said. “It seemed to do a big, wide, swerving turn” in the direction of Miami International Airport, she said.

The Boeing 747 was on its way to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico when the crew reported an engine failure. Atlas Air Flight 95 then returned safely to Miami International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Atlas will conduct an inspection to determine the cause.

Unverified videos on social media platform X showed flames shooting out of the wing of a plane near the airport while in flight.

Atlas Air hauls everything from machinery to perishable food and pharmaceuticals, and also provides charter services for passengers, according to its website.